Phase II: Prototype Development
Phase II of this pilot project focused on continued outreach and consultation with Indigenous knowledge-holders and other community members, and the creation of multimedia content to bring to life the cultural dimensions of the framework.
Working groups
We formed three working groups, coming together during community meetings and events to collaboratively implement this evolving framework:
- a Design Working Group
- a Cultural Education working group
- an Ecocultural Mapping working group, which focused on adapting content from previous participatory mapping exercises, in conjunction with perspectives and values documented through preliminary consultation with Indigenous community members, to map out cultural values across the landscape
Our goal was not to produce an “end product” but rather a prototype ecocultural map that could form the basis for ongoing consultation and intergenerational, cross-cultural learning, to deepen our understanding and appreciation for the ecological and cultural significance of this place.
Major developments
Major developments on the timeline of this phase of the project included:
- the elaboration of the GIS framework
- improved mapping of Retreat Cove shoreline based on drone ortho-imagery
- the creation of multimedia content focusing on Hul’q’umi’num’ names and cultural values of species
- field recordings of Xetthecum soundscapes
- the design and implementation of a graphical user interface (GUI) for the ecocultural map
We also revisited the UP-CLOSE report (Emmings & Erickson, 2004) and developed a survey methodology to interview Indigenous community members to identify important cultural values in relation to Xetthecum and surrounding ecological communities.
Through thematic analysis, we began to map out these cultural values across the landscape, adapting and synthesizing content from the UP-CLOSE report, while beginning the process of decolonizing and Indigenizing representations of the landscape based on the perspectives of Indigenous community members.